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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

First Night Home

I will start with a simple tip for any soon to be parent: get your car seat checked. Ours was pre-set for an average infant so it was set for a child that is definitely smaller than the one we have. After adjusting the seat belt, we weren't able to adjust the angle so Joanna rode in a seat that was at a 90 degree angle rather than more slanted. I sat in the back and held her head up because we couldn't figure it out. We made lemonade as we drove home in a world that looked more vibrant and real than it did last Friday.

I got inside and just sat and relaxed. Who would have thought major surgery would require major recovery?

I quickly felt absolutely awful. Our doctor freaked us out into thinking we had to feed her every hour on the hour in order to prevent jaundice. We really should have just listened to our nurse and follow the cues of Joanna. I was so exhausted and sore that Jonathan used one of the formula samples for her first evening feeding. Ya know what? She did wonderfully with it! It gave her and Jonathan a great time to bond as well. I'm looking forward to pumping so they can bond more over feeding. It's such a special thing to provide your child with nourishment - I'm glad Jonathan can experience it, too. Lesson learned: It's okay to supplement.

My parents left and we were soon alone with our baby. Just the three of us. Expected by the world to know what to do with this tiny stranger that sucks at communicating. No pressure.

I'm nursing every 2-3 hours depending on her needs. She reached her wet diaper goal without the need to feed her every hour. I was actually able to sleep for 2 hour stretches last night!! Go me! Tomorrow I plan on taking a long long nap and give Joanna to [Grand]Mom.

PS - My parents are amazing! They are staying until Thursday and have been so excited to help us in any way they can. It can be overwhelming to feel so loved by people, especially people that love you unconditionally. They are seriously life savers for us this week!